Henry Ruggs makes appearance out of prison

Former Raiders wide receiver speaks publicly

Former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs made an appearance in the city outside of a courtroom for the first time since his fatal car crash in nearly four years ago.

Ruggs was given a temporary special release from the Nevada state prison system to speak at a Hope for Prisoners Tuesday night Huddle Up in Las Vegas.

Ruggs pled guilty to one count of DUI resulting in death and one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter stemming from a November, 2021 Las Vegas car crash in which Tina Tintor, 23, and her dog were killed.

Police stated that Ruggs was driving drunk and driving at 156 m.p.h. on a Las Vegas city street in the early hours of Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, when he crashed into Tintor’s car, causing it to burst into flames. The Raiders released Ruggs later that day.

At Tuesday’s event, Ruggs was asked what he would say to Tintor’s family.

“I wish that I could turn back the hands of time … I deeply apologize and I wish they could meet the real Henry Ruggs,” he said.

Ruggs was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison by a judge in a Nevada state prison in a Las Vegas courtroom in 2023. The three years is based off of good behavior. Ruggs will first be eligible to be released from prison in August, 2026 when he will be 27. He has served his time in multiple state facilities. Ruggs is currently housed at the Casa Grande Transitional Center, which is located a mile from Allegiant Stadium.

This offseason, Josh Jacobs, Ruggs’ teammate at Alabama and with the Raiders, said on the Pivot Podcast that he is in contact with Ruggs an that he is training and could get a chance to try out to return to the NFL upon from his release.

The Alabama product was in his second season and was a starting wide receiver at the time of his arrest. He was the No. 12 overall draft pick in 2020.